COVID-19 (FAQs)

A coronavirus is a kind of common virus that causes an infection in your nose, sinuses, or upper throat.

In early 2020, after a December 2019 outbreak in China, the World Health Organization identified SARS-CoV-2 as a new type of coronavirus. The outbreak quickly spread around the world. COVID-19 is a disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 that can trigger a respiratory tract infection. It can affect your upper respiratory tract (sinuses, nose, and throat) or lower respiratory tract (windpipe and lungs).

People can catch COVID-19 from others who have the virus. The disease can spread from person to person through small droplets/aerosole from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales/sneeze.

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, dry cough and weakness. Some patients may feel loss of smell/taste, breathlessness and bodyache. These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. Some people become infected but don’t develop any symptoms and don’t feel unwell.

COVID-19 is mainly transmitted through contact with respiratory droplets rather than through the air.

The “incubation period” means the time between catching the virus and beginning to have symptoms of the disease. Most estimates of the incubation period for COVID-19 range from 1-14 days, most commonly around five days to seven days.

Yes

Person aged >60 Yrs & <10 Yrs, Diabetic Patient, Patients with organ transplant, cancer patients, chemotherapy, patients with lung diseases, hypertensive patients etc.

No. they only work on bacterial infections.

No definite medicine but few medicines can reduce the symptoms. Eg. Hydroxychloroquine, Ramdesivir, Dexamethasone, favipiravior etc.

Not yet, trails going on.

Corona viruses may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days depending upon surface type.

• Washing hands regularly
• Wear mask
• Maintain social distancing
• Avoid touching surfaces

Currently, there is no evidence to support transmission of COVID-19 associated with food.

Community spread means people where the source of transmission not identified.

• In Mild Risk : Maintain Social Distancing and wear mask
• In Moderate Risk: Get yourself quarantine and follow Guidelines of Local Government
• In High Risk: Get yourself tested and follow Guidelines of Local Government

Instructions for care-givers

• Mask: The caregiver should wear a triple layer medical mask appropriately when in the same room with the ill person.
• He/she should avoid touching own face, nose or mouth.
• Hand hygiene must be ensured following contact with ill person or his immediate environment.
• Hand hygiene should also be practiced before and after preparing food, before eating, after using the toilet, and whenever hands look dirty. Use soap and water for hand washing at least for 40 seconds. Alcohol-based hand rub can be used, if hands are not visibly soiled.
• Exposure to patient: Avoid direct contact with body fluids of the patient, particularly oral or respiratory secretions.
• Use disposable gloves while handling the patient. Perform hand hygiene before and after removing gloves.
• Food must be provided to the patient in his room
• Utensils and dishes used by the patient should be cleaned with soap/detergent and water wearing gloves.
• The care giver and all close contact will self-monitor their health with vitals on daily basis.

Instructions to the patient:

• Patient should at all times use N-95 medical mask.
• Discard mask after 8 hours of use or earlier if they become wet or visibly soiled. Mask should be discarded only after disinfecting it with 1% Sodium Hypo-chlorite Solution
• Patient must isolate himself in a well ventilated room with attached toilet
• Patient must drink lot of fluids to maintain adequate hydration and do mid exercises.
• Hands must be washed often with soap and water for at least 40 seconds or clean with alcohol based sanitizer.
• Clean surfaces in the room that are touched often (tabletops, door knobs, handles, etc) with 1% hypochlorite solution.
• The patient must strictly follow the physician’s instructions and medication advice.
• The patient will self-monitor his/her health with BP, SpO2, Body temprature.

1. RT-PCR (RNA/DNA- Report within 24 Hrs)
2. Antigen Test ( Report within 15-20 mins)
3. Antibody test